PENNE ROSA

So who likes Noodle's and Company? Oh, that's right, I DO.

My boss walked into my office today with a printout of a recipe, and said "Here. This is the Noodle's and Company recipe, I thought you'd like it."

BOY OH BOY! Here it is folks, and don't you doubt that I am going to try this once I get home.

PENNE ROSA

Ingredients

• 1lb penne cooked al dente
• 3/4 cup of your favorite marinara sauce
• Spring onions, sliced
• 2 cloves fresh garlic, chopped
• Crushed chili flakes to taste
• mushrooms
• 1/4 cup cream
• 1 T vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup of raw pinenuts
• Extra virgin olive oil
• 2 T Wine (your choice)
• 1 Heirloom tomato, or can dice any tomato
• Kosher salt to taste
• 1/4 cup fress organic baby spinach leaves
• 1 bunch fresh sweet Italian basil leaves (snipped with scissors)
• Shaved Asiago cheese
• 1T vegetable oil
• Kosher salt & black pepper to taste

PREP:

Cook pasta to al dente then chill in ice cold water. Drain, toss with olive oil and set aside

Chop the garlic, slice theonions and mushrooms, and de-stem basil and set aside

Coarsley chop 1/4 cup of raw pinenuts

Slice the heriloom tomato into bitesize pieces and toss with extra virgin olive oil, salt & pepper

Toast 1/4 cup of pinenuts in the oven until golden brown, set aside

HERE WE GO!

Heat a large saute' pan. Add the vegetable oil, garlic, mushrooms, and spring onions. Stir well. Add tomato sauce when the mushrooms, garlic and onions are sizzling and lightly caramelized. Deglaze the pan with the wine. Add salt and crushed chile flakes to taste. Add cream, then the pasta and toss to coat. Toss in the spinach and place on a platter. Garnish the entire dish with shaved Asiago cheese, toasted pinenuts, sliced tomatoes and fresh cut basil

Chicken and Zucchini Fettuccine Alfredo

I made this today for the first time, (and kind of improvised as I went) and were it not so heavy in my belly, I would make it more often! Very easy, and very tasty, and can serve up to six people. Throw some garlic bread in the oven, and you've got a great meal (and potentially good leftovers)

• 1 box whole wheat fettuccine
• 2-3 chicken breasts, cooked. (Sliced or diced, depending on preference)
• 1-2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil 
• 2 Zucchini, sliced into thin rounds
• 3-4 cloves of garlic (minced)
• lemon juice
• sea salt
• cracked pepper
• red chile pepper
• Parmesan cheese (optional)
• Parsley flakes for garnish (optional)
• Alfredo sauce of choice (Classico Four Cheese Alfredo Sauce=the best!)

Cook the fettuccine pasta in boiling water until desired tenderness. Drain. You know the drill.

While you are cooking the pasta, heat the olive oil on medium heat in a frying pan. Cook the minced garlic for about thirty seconds, and add the sliced zucchini. These will cook together for about 6 minutes, but keep an eye on them!

After the pasta is drained, and the zucchini cooked, mix the zucchini/garlic with the pasta. Stirring slowly, pour in the cooked chicken and Alfredo sauce of choice. Toss in some lemon juice, and a bit of red chile pepper for some spice, and voila! Delicious Alfredo, and a lot tastier than you would think

Brioche Rolls

I have not tried this recipe yet, and have been in the market for a good recipe for rolls, and I think this is the one I want to try next. I got this recipe from "Just a Mom, Ha!". Seriously, got look at her page. She's got some really great stuff. I don't claim this one at all, and once I try it myself, I'll let you know how it goes. But until then, this one is high on my list!






"Brioche (according to my bread maker company, from whom I’m tweaking this recipe) is a rich, white, egg bread.  Its texture is soft and smooth, especially straight out of the oven, and it’s no-salt flavor can be paired with just about anything from gravy to honey.
Do try them with honey. No joke, I could cry it was so good.  Just crack it open like this:




And drizzle the honey on.  No butter necessary, these stand alone.
Brioche Rolls

• 2/3 c. warm milk
• 1 1/2 tsp. yeast
• 1 1/2 Tbs light butter/margarine, melted
• 2 eggs
• 2 Tbs. sugar
• 3 c. flour

Preheat oven to 200 degrees, then turn off once it has preheated.  Combine warm milk and yeast is a small dish, let stand until yeast gets frothy.  Meanwhile, melt butter in a large mixing bowl, then add the eggs and sugar.  When yeast mixture is ready, add it to the large mixing bowl, then add flour by cups, stirring between each addition.  Knead the dough in the bowl by hand until all flour is incorporated and the dough becomes mostly smooth (mine was a little cracked in places).
Remove dough, lightly spray the mixing bowl, then return the dough and cover with a slightly moist cloth and put dough in the preheated oven for an hour to rise.  After an hour, punch the dough down and divide it into 8 equal pieces.*  Work the pieces into smooth balls and place on a lightly greased baking dish, cover and put back in the warm oven for about 30 minutes.
Once the rolls have doubled in size, remove from warm oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Bake the rolls for 10 minutes and serve warm or store in an airtight container.
* Kim’s notes:  I made 8 rolls, but they were HUGE!  I could have easily cut them again and made 16.  If you chose to make smaller rolls, adjust the cooking time so that they don’t come out too tough.
Before baking, I spritzed my rolls with a little I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Spray. You could do this, smear a little melted butter on, or leave them plain.
Happy Cooking!"


Thanks Kim!

Red Velvet Truffles

Though similar to the Oreogasms, this cake ball recipe is a great addition to any Christmas party. How can you say no to a red and white treat during Christmas? I submit that you cannot.


I found this recipe on a blog called "Just a Mom, Ha!" She's got lots of great stuff on there, check her out!

Red Velvet Truffles

• 1 box red velvet cake mix
• 1 can cream cheese frosting
• 1 package of white almond bark ( I prefer White Chocolate Chips, or something similiar)
• food coloring or sprinkles for decorating, if desired

Bake the red velvet cake according to package directions – I used applesauce in place of the oil and it worked out great for this recipe.  Allow cake to cool completely, then break it down into crumbs.  Add frosting to crumbs, blending until evenly dispersed.  Form the cake mixture into bite-sized balls and place on cookie sheets lined with foil or parchment paper.  Freeze balls for one hour, or put in the fridge for 3-4 hours, or until needed.  I made my cake and balls the day before, kept them in the fridge all night, then coated them the next day.  Melt down half of the almond bark according to package directions, being careful not to scorch it.  Roll the balls in the bark coating them completely, then drain excess coating with a fork before placing the balls back on the cookie sheet.  Repeat for second half. If you want to decorate the truffles, add some sprinkles before the bark sets, or dye some bark with food coloring to drizzle or draw designs (I was thinking of trying to make green holly leaves on mine, but ran out of time and bark). Refrigerate until time to serve.

Oreogasms

This is a recipe for Oreo Truffles. The cast of "Macbeth" renamed them Oreogasms, which I find hysterical, but am not sure how appropriate it is. But once you try them, I think you'll understand why they came up with such a name!

• On package of Oreos (Regular, not double stuffed)
• One package of Cream Cheese, softened  (8oz)
• One back of chocolate chips (I prefer Milk-chocolate, but semi-sweetened works too)
• Wax Paper

1. Blend the entire bag of Oreos in a blender/food processor until the Oreos are a powder. You can blend 5 or 6 Oreos at time (or however much your blender can handle) until all the Oreos have been added. You don't want any cookie chunks left. Take out 1/3 cup of Oreo Powder, and set aside. 
2. Once all the Oreos are blended, slowly mix the Oreos powder and cream cheese together. You'll probably want to use your hands for this, and knead it like bread until the Cream Cheese has turned a consistent dark Oreo color.
3. Roll Oreo and Cream Cheese mixture into tiny balls, and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
4. Melt bag of chocolate chips in a pan (or double boil). DO NOT ADD BUTTER OR WATER, this will ruin the consistency. Keep the stove on Low.
5. Begin dipping the chilled Oreo balls into the chocolate, and place on plates covered in wax paper. 
6. While doing this, (after every 3 or 4 Oreo balls that you dip) take out the 1/3 Oreo Powder that has been set aside, and sprinkle a little bit onto each ball, dipping and sprinkling as you go. **It is best to do this soon after you dip, so the Powder will stick and stay to the melted chocolate while it is still melted.
7. Chill in refrigerator for 1 hour.  After chilled, remove from wax paper, serve, and enjoy!!

Here are a couple different picture ideas for serving and for chocolate melting/decorating.

If you're feeling REALLY fancy, you can use this sister recipe for Red Velvet Cake Balls! I found this on a wonderful blog called "Just A Mom, Ha!" Check her out!

Spinach-Berry Sweet Salad

This is my favorite salad recipe, and goes great with everything. Its a very general recipe, so put in as much or as little as you like of one thing or another until it fits your style. A great salad for any summertime get together or lunch/snack.

• Spinach leaves
• Fresh berries -- you can use any berries if they are available. I like strawberries, but if I'm lucky I will have blackberries too.
• Tiny chunks of blue cheese
• Candied walnuts (Thank-you Winco!)
• Cubed chicken, cooked.
• Dressing of your choice -- my favorite dressing is a fat free Pomegranate-Blueberry vinaigrette, (also available at Winco), but the classic go to is a nice Poppyseed Dressing. 

Cut the strawberries into bite-size slices (or however big you want)

Mix all of these ingrediants together, and Ta-Da! Done and Done!

Cream Cheese Frosting

**You may have extra frosting after frosting your cakes, so use the extras to spread on cookies or graham crackers.

• 1 package of cream cheese, softened (8 oz)
• 1/2 cup stick margarine or butter, softened.
• 2 tsp milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 4 cups powdered sugar

1. Beat cream cheese, margarine, milk and vanilla in medium bowl with electric mixer on low speed until smooth.
2. Gradually beat in powdered sugar on low speed, 1 cup at a time. Do this until frosting is smooth and spreadable. Frosts on rectangular cake generously, or fills and frosts a round two-layer cake. Refrigerate any remaining frosting.

***FOR THE CHOCOLATE LOVERS***

• Add 2 ounces of unsweetened baking chocolate, melted and cooled, with the margarine. 

Moist Carrot Cake

This recipe for carrot cake is the "moistest" recipe I've tried, and we absolutely love it. It goes great with this home-made cream cheese recipe.

Carrot Cake
Prep: about 20 mins
Bake: 45 mins

• 1 1/2 cups of sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil**
• 3 large eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp of baking soda
• 1 tsp of vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3 cups of shredded carrots (5 or 6 medium sized carrots)**
• 1 cup coarsely chopped nuts (I usually omit this step, as I am not a big fan of nuts in my desserts)
• Cream Cheese Frosting (click here), or listed below 

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease the bottom and sides of your pan with shortening: Rectangle--13 x 9 x 2 inches. 2 Round Pans--8 x 1 1/2, OR 9 x 1 1/2 inches (I use crisco butter spray). Lightly flour.
2. Mix sugar, oil, and eggs in a large bowl until blended; beat for 1 minute. Stir in the remaining ingredients except the carrots, nuts, and Cream Cheese Frosting. Beat for 1 minute. Stir in carrots and nuts. Pour into pan
3. Back rectangle pans for 40 - 45 minutes, and round pans for 30-35 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center. Cool in pan on wire wrack. (This cooling process is VERY important, especially if you are making double layer cake with the round pans!)
4. Frost
1. NOTE: I like to layer the cakes, and after frosting the middle and the first layer of frosting on the cake and sides, put them in the refrigerator, along with the bowl of frosting for a little bit. This allows the cake to cool even more, and the frosting to settle a little bit so it will frost nicely and stay on the cake without falling off. After 10 or 15 minutes, I can finish frosting the cake with another layer of frosting, and it looks and taste great!

**If you want to lighten the caloric intake and less grams of fat, substitute 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce for 1/2 cup of the oil and 1 egg plus 4 egg whites for eggs. Decrease or eliminate the chopped nuts

**It is recommended to use a food processor to shred the carrots, but using a cheese grater works perfectly fine. 

GREEN MONSTER SMOOTHIE

2 cups (or two large handfuls) organic Spinach

1 ripe Banana (don't use a green one)

1 cup unsweetened Almond Milk

1 cup crushed ice

1 Healthy Fat (see below)

1 Healthy Seed (see below)

1 extra Sweet (see below)

1-2 Healthy Boosts (see below)

ADD a Healthy FAT (Choose ONE)

- 1/2 Tbsp. Almond Butter (my favorite)

- 1/2 Tbsp. Peanut Butter (natural, unsweetened)

- 1/4 Large Haas Avocado (adds an interesting creaminess)

ADD a Healthy SEED (Choose ONE)

- 1 Tbsp. Chia Seeds (my favorite)

- 1 Tbsp. ground Flax Seed

ADD some extra SWEET (Optional, Choose ONE)

- 2 packets Stevia (my favorite--zero calories)

- 1-2 tsp. Agave Nectar

ADD a Healthy BOOST (Optional, Choose ONE or TWO)

- 2 stalks Kale (I add this daily)

- 1/2 scoop vanilla (or whatever flavor) protein powder

- 1 handful Berries (your choice)

DIRECTIONS:

Pile ingredients into blender (heaviest last, so they push down the fluffy ones, like spinach) and blend until it's all smooth and creamy and GREEN. And don't immediately pour it down the drain--it doesn't taste like green goo. It just looks like green goo.

Or, Darcy Pingel's Go-To Green Monster is this:

2 handfuls spinach

2 stalks kale

1 ripe banana

1 cup crushed ice

3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

1 Tbs. chia seeds

1/2 Tbs. almond butter

2 packets Stevia

SODA CRACKER PIE

This recipe also came from the Whipple's in Salt Lake City. They served this Soda Cracker Pie for dessert, with creme and fresh strawberries, and it was absolutely delicious! Thanks Sister Whipple!

 

3 egg whites

1 cup white sugar

½ teaspoon baking powder

20 soda crackers, finely crushed

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup chopped pecans (walnuts or almonds work, too)

whipped cream

fruit of choice

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C)

In a medium bowl, beat egg whites until stiff.  Fold in sugar, baking powder, crackers, vanilla and pecans.  Spoon mixture into a greased 9 inch pie pan.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven.  Cool and serve, topped with whipped cream and fresh fruit of your choice.

PUMPKIN BREAD

[Vegan, Low-Fat, Low-Sugar]

Makes 2 Loaves

**Thanks Darcy Pingel**

Note: This bread was an experiment of mine on a Sunday afternoon. I've been cutting refined sugar out of my diet, but wanted a pumpkin-y treat and this is what I came up with! What will result is a very moist pumpkin bread with a light banana flavor. You may need to throw a sheet of  foil over the top of the crust toward the end of the baking process so it doesn't get too dark.

 

12 packets Stevia (I use Truvia Brand - find in baking aisle)

1/2 cup Agave Nectar (Find in health food store)

1 cup Applesauce (No Sugar Added)

3 Bananas, mashed

2 cups Whole Wheat Flour, sifted

1 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour, sifted

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 15-ounce can pumpkin

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees. Grease two loaf pans. In a large bowl, beat Stevia, Agave Nectar, Applesauce and Bananas until combined. Set aside. In another bowl, combine flours, soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Slowly add to fruit mixture until combined. Divide batter between two loaf pans. Bake at 350 for 1 hour.  Serve with your favorite (low-fat, vegan, whatever) buttery spread or spray! 

Funeral Potatoes

And the oh-so-easy FUNERAL POTATOES. (also known as Momo Potatoes) :)

I picked this specific recipe up from Jennifer Whipple's home in SLC when her family was kind enough to host our Macbeth cast for dinner during tour. (What a mouthful!) It was sooooo-ooooo good! (Not the healthiest, mind you, but....sometimes, you just have to let go.)

-1 bag (24 oz.) frozen shredded hash browns

-2 (10 ¾ oz.) cans cream of chicken soup {this is what really makes the difference between this recipe and others!}

-2 cups sour cream

-1 cup grated cheddar cheese

-1/3 cup onions, chopped

Thaw hash browns.  Combine soup concentrate, sour cream, cheese, and onions.  Gently blend into potatoes.  Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Yield: 10 servings.

Roasted Red Pepper Pasta

Roasted Red Pepper Pasta

**I copied this recipe from Darcy's blog, so all of this advice is hers! Have at it!**

I made this pasta sauce and served it over fusilli pasta (the twirly kind) and we absolutely LOVED it. We used some cheddar cheese in ours (I know... a not-so-italiano addition) and it had a bit of a fancy pants mac-n-cheese feel to it. Surprisingly, it wasn't a lot of work for how delicious the sauce is... and I'm picky about my pasta sauce! This recipe is reminiscent of Craigo's roasted red pepper sauce. Mangiamo!

Note: This recipe, as is, is not low-fat, low-sugar, or vegan (and let's be honest--it's most delicious that way!) However, you can adjust the recipe to accommodate any or all of these preferences. See healthier  options in parentheses.

 

Image via-Google Images. I forgot to take a picture, but mine looked about like this.

ROASTED RED PEPPER PASTA

(Serves 4)

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb package of your favorite pasta

2 large or 3 medium red bell peppers, roasted (see directions below)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed

1 cup heavy cream or milk (or milk substitute for vegan option)

2 teaspoons sugar (or Stevia, for lower-sugar option)

Red pepper flakes (optional)

Shredded cheese (optional)

Salt

HOW TO ROAST PEPPERS (It's easier than you think!)

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Line baking sheet with foil. Wash peppers.  Halve peppers lengthwise; remove stems, seeds and membranes. Place  pepper halves, cut side down, on lined baking sheet. Bake 20-25 minutes until skins are blistered and dark. (If this is your first time roasting, they will look burnt. Let them get nice and black.) Remove from oven. Cover peppers in another sheet of foil, and roll up edges to  enclose peppers in the foil. Let them stand for about 15 minutes (they are "sweating"), which will help the skins to loosen. Remove the skins  from the peppers. It should gently pull off in strips. Discard skin.

Google Images

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Return to saucepan.

2. Meanwhile, place roasted peppers in food processor or blender. Cover and process until smooth. As peppers are processing, slowly add cream/milk (or milk substitute) to aid in the blending process. You will end up with a smooth, but thick, orange-colored sauce. Set aside.

3. In a medium saucepan, cook onion and garlic in hot olive oil until tender. Add blended peppers, oregano, and sugar. If you like your sauce spicy, add a few shakes of red pepper flakes to taste. Cook and stir until heated through. (Throw in a handful of shredded cheese at this point, if desired.)

4. Pour sauce over pasta; toss to coat. Serve with salt--this dish needs a generous sprinkling of salt to bring out all of the natural flavors. (It really goes without saying, but you can sprinkle some of that cheese--be it cheddar, parmesan, mozzerella--on top, as well!)

Lemon-Zest Asparagus

One of my favorite Veggies to eat is Asparagus. So here is one of my favorite ways to prepare them!

Cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

1 bunch of medium sized asparagus, about 1 lb

2 Tbsp of the most exquisite extra virgin olive oil 

2 Tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese 

1 teaspoon lemon zest - freshly grated lemon rind 

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 Prepare the asparagus by rinsing them thoroughly, break off any tough, white bottoms and discard. Cut into 1 to 2 inch sections, slicing the asparagus at a slight diagonal.

2 Fill a medium sized saucepan half way with water, bring to a boil. Add the asparagus and reduce heat slightly to a simmer. Parboil the asparagus for exactly 2 minutes. Drain the hot water. While the asparagus are still hot, toss them in a bowl with the olive oil, Parmesan, and lemon rind. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm or room temperature.

Note that when you are working with so few ingredients, it's important to make sure they are of the highest quality.

Yield: Serves 4.

Easy Black Bean Dip

This is another Darcy Pingel creation! This woman is a cooking machine! Check out her blog here!

EASY BLACK BEAN DIP

[Vegan, Low-Fat, Low-Sugar]

1 cup black beans

4-5 tablespoons salsa (your favorite kind)

Dash of salt (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Put all ingredients in food processor or blender.

2. Blend until smooth. You will need to stop the blender and scrape sides down a few times.

3. Serve with tortilla chips. Delicious! 

Dangerously Delicious Grape Salad

WATCH OUT! DANGEROUSLY DELICIOUS GRAPE SALAD! 

We picked this recipe up from a pot-luck dinner that some faculty members did for us while we were on tour. This Grape Salad was an absolute HIT, and we couldn't leave without getting the recipe. It is so simple to make, and perfect for any summertime party. Give it a try!

5-6 lbs of Red Seedless Grapes
2 (8 oz) pkgs of softened Cream Cheese
1 cup Sour Cream
3/4 cup crushed Pecans (optional) -->I love candied walnuts or candied almonds.
10 tbsp Sugar (I'm sure you could substitute this for something a bit healthier, but I haven't tried that yet)
1 tbsp Vanilla

Combine Cream Cheese, Sour Cream, Pecans, Sugar, and Vanilla till smooth, stir in Grapes, chill, and serve!!!!